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Summary

A stone circle measuring 46.0m by 44.0m with between 52 and 61 surviving stones.

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 15214: FERNACRE STONE CIRCLE AND TWO OUTLYING STONES

Other References/Statuses

• Cornwall PROJECT ID: BM
• National Mapping Programme (Morph No.): 2101.1.1
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SX17NW 42
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 1975
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SX17NW 34

Monument Type(s):

• STONE CIRCLE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2501 BC)
• STONE CIRCLE (Bronze Age - 2500 BC to 801 BC)

Full description

A stone circle, situated on an east facing slope of open moorland pasture possibly associated with a small outlying menhir (1975.1).

This circle was first recorded in 1879 (b1), and has since been described by several sources. The site was visited by the OS fieldworker in 1973 (h1) are re-surveyed at 1:2500 scale (b7).

According to Barnatt (b8), this is an irregular circle, 46.0m by 44.0m, with 52 to 61 surviving stones out of an original of 77 to 95 (the exact numbers are difficult to determine because some stones are completely buried beneath the turf). The upright stones have irregular tops and inner faces, and there are two ranges of stone height, 0.3m-0.7m and 0.9m-1.3m. In the south-east quadrant Barnatt discovered two stretches of what appeared to be a bank built against the outer face of the stones.

The Fernacre circle is surrounded by three hills, marking the cardinal points, which gives the stong impression that the circle's location was carefully chosen. Brown Willy marks the equinox sunrise and Rough Tor marks north. Together with Garrow, these hills are part of linear relationships to other circles. Louden Hill is just discernable from the one remaining upright on the horizon to the WSW (b8).

The site appears to have changed little since 1879, though a few more stones seem to have fallen; Lukis and Borlase (b1) recorded 45 upright stones, Gray (b3) shows 39, Tregelles (b2) 38 and Weatherhill (b9) 35. At some date since 1905 the north-west quadrant of the circle has been vandalised, with two stones being removed and one smashed (b8).

The monument is included in the Schedule and the scheduling was revised in September 1993.

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Site history:
h1: 1973. MHB / OS
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Lukis, WC & Borlase, WC, 1885, Prehistoric Stone Monuments: Cornwall (Bibliographic reference). SCO3881.

NMR, 28/2/79, NMR 1480 (Aerial Photograph). SCO21917.

Page, W (Editor), 1906, Victoria History of the County of Cornwall, VOL 1, 394 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4068.

NMR, 28/2/79, NMR 1479 (Aerial Photograph). SCO21925.

Gray, H St. G, 1908, On the Stone Circles of East Cornwall, VOL 61, 33-36 (Article in Journal). SCO6957.

NMR, 26/4/79, NMR 1479 (Aerial Photograph). SCO22917.

Hencken, H O'N, 1932, The Archaeology of Cornwall and Scilly, 53, 58 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3489.

Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

Burl, A, 1976, The Stone Circles of the British Isles, 76, 115, 119, 121, 341 (Bibliographic reference). SCO2971.

Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

Barnatt, J, 1982, Prehistoric Cornwall: The Ceremonial Monuments, 170-172, 249 (Bibliographic reference). SCO2777.

Weatherhill, C, 1985, Cornovia: Ancient Sites of Cornwall & Scilly, 73 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5028.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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